There's No Way My Little Sister Can Be (Insert word here)
by archangel77
Summary: As promised, the Christmas story is up. This is a continuation, so if you haven't read the other two, now is the time. Christmas is just around the corner, and the clock is slowly ticking down. It's Christmas Eve, and Kirino is taking Kyousuke out, but he has no idea where. I'm trying something new with this, so forgive me if the summary isn't all that helpful. Just click and read!
1. Chapter 1

Hmmmmmmmmm what's that smell in the air…oh yeah! It's Christmas time again baby! And I'm going to do something a little different with this story. I'm going to have a Christmas countdown, starting today. Every Tuesday from now until Christmas I'll post this story by chapters. It's kind of mean to make you wait an entire week just to see what happens next I know, but welcome to anime. They do that. Have fun :D ( BTW, If I could animate this story, the opening theme song would be the Christmas version of Caramel dancen. If you haven't heard of it, check it out on youtube. you'll see what i mean.)

*I don't own OreImo, all credit to original creators.*

There's No Way My Little Sister Can Be (Insert Word Here)

"Kirino are you ready yet?" Kyousuke groaned as he waited outside her door. He had on his jacket, and was wearing a pair of jeans. He had small black gloves on his hands, and he was wearing a necklace that Kirino had given him around his neck. Her door slowly opened, revealing a cute innocent looking girl, with long strawberry blonde hair that hung down just over her shoulders. She was wearing a red dress that had white edges on the bottom and on the top. The dress stopped just above her knees, and she had a brown belt that went around her waist at a diagonal angle. Her blue aqua colored eyes locked with his as she smiled at him.

It had been about a month since the two of them had been together as a couple, and to Kyousuke's surprise, things didn't really change. Kirino was still Kirino, selfish, pushy, and most of all, cute. She was doing really well at keeping their relationship a secret, not even glancing at him when she was with her friends. She still badmouthed him, calling him a creep, a pervert, a siscon, and anything else she could think of. Kyousuke didn't mind, he had been used to it for so long that he just brushed it off. But when they were alone, it was like Kirino was a different person. She would cuddle up next to him, give him hugs, hold his hand, smile at him, things that she would never do with other people around. Kyousuke liked it when she showed him affection, even if it was only when they were alone.

"Let's go," Kirino said, walking past Kyousuke and heading down the stairs. Kyousuke followed close behind her.  
"Where are we even going anyway?" Kyousuke asked, not sounding enthused at all. Kirino stopped and shot him a glare.

"You haven't taken me out anywhere in a while, so tonight we're going out."

"But Kirino, it's Christmas Eve, where in the world are we going to go?"

"Just shut up and follow me," Kirino continued walking down the stairs. Kyousuke sighed, and then began to follow her again. Kirino stepped out from the stairs, and walked into the living room where her mom and dad were sitting at the dinner table. Her dad had on a fancy suit, and her mom was wearing an equally as fancy dress.

"Oh! Perfect timing, your father and I were just getting ready to head out as well," Her mother said to her. Kirino looked at her confused.

"Huh? You guys are going out too?" As she spoke she looked to her father, who was giving off a slight blush. This was a rare sight to see, so Kirino knew he must have done something romantic and didn't want to talk about it. She looked back to her mom who was holding up what looked like two tickets to a restaurant.

"Your father decided to give me my Christmas present early since nothing will be open tomorrow. He bought us dinner reservations at the Heavens Gate restaurant that's just a few miles out of town." She looked to Daisuke who was still blushing. She chuckled a little, and let out a soft smile.

"Smooth dad," She said, smiling at him. Her father twitched and then quickly looked at her.

"Don't you mock me young lady!" He shouted back. Kirino and her mother laughed a little, and then Yoshino rested her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Calm down dear, we need to get going or we're going to be late." Kyosuke had been standing on the bottom of the stairs listening, but not making his presence known until his parents stood up out of their chairs. He appeared in the kitchen behind Kirino, and then met eyes with his mothers.

"There you are Kyousuke, I was wondering when you were going to come down. Your father and I are going out as well, so lock the door when you leave. We should be back around 9-" She was cut off by her husband interrupting her.

"And you kids should be out no later than 10. If you're even a minute late, you won't be getting a single present from anybody tomorrow, am I clear?" Their father spoke with a strong voice. They both nodded their heads.

"Yes sir." They said in unison. He let out a grunt, and then made his way to the front door. He waited for his wife to put her coat on, and then together they left the house. Kyousuke watched them leave, and when they were gone he looked to Kirino.

"So, shall we take our leave t-" He couldn't finish his sentence. Kirino had whipped herself around and had planted her lips on his. She threw her arms around his neck, and continued the kiss for a few seconds. Kyousuke was surprised by this sudden attack, but he didn't mind it at all. Kirino pulled herself away from him, and then headed to the front door, not saying a word. Kyousuke watched her walk away, but he soon joined her by the door.

"What was that all about?" He asked, slipping on his shoes. He smirked at her as he asked. She too slipped on her boots, but she didn't answer right away. She opened up the front door, stepped outside, and then finally turned back to look at him.

"I wanted a kiss." She replied firmly. He stepped outside behind her, and shut the front door. He made sure it was locked, and then tucked the key away in his jeans pocket. Kirino started to walk away from their house, leading the way to wherever it was that they were going. Kyousuke stepped right behind her.

"You could've just asked."

"You could've just done it. Isn't that what the boyfriend is supposed to do? You're really bad at this." Kirino sighed as she shook her head. Kyosuke lit up red as she spoke.

"Well sorry! I'm still not used to it yet! Dating their sister isn't something people do every day. I've never had a girlfriend before, so this is all new to me. Besides, you've never had a boyfriend before, so how would you know?!" Kirino quickly turned her head to him.

"S-shut up! It's what all the boyfriends do on TV and in movies!"

"You're holding me to standards that are portrayed on TV and in movies?!"

"It's not my fault that you're not talented!"  
"What?! What does that have to do with anything?!"

"Just never mind! Come on, hurry up. We're going to be late," Kirino grunted as she started to walk faster.

"Late for what?! You still haven't told me where we're going!"

"You'll find out when we get there!"

"Why can't you just tell me?!"

"Why can't you just shut up?!" Kyousuke clenched his fist in anger. Even though Kirino was now his girlfriend, she still managed to piss him off with ease. He tried to calm himself down as they continued to walk in silence. It stayed quiet for quite some time, until they started to walk into town.

"It's not too much farther," Kirino muttered quietly. Kyousuke wanted to ask yet again where she was dragging him, but he didn't want to start another argument so he kept his mouth shut. Kyousuke was too busy looking around to notice when Kirino had stopped. He ran into her, pushing her forward a bit.

"Watch where I'm walking idiot!" She snapped at him.

"Sorry sorry, my bad," Kyousuke replied. Kirino let her angry frown fade into a smile as she looked at him. "What're you smiling at?" Kyosuke asked a little concerned.

"We're here," She replied pointing at a sign across the street. 'Snowy Hallow' was what the sign read. Kyousuke stared in confusion at the place across the street. People were walking out covered in snow, but they were laughing like children.

"What are we..?"

"You said that you've always wanted to go here so…Merry Christmas." Kirino walked up next to Kyousuke and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Kyousuke smiled as he looked into Kirino's bright blue eyes.

"So this is why you were being so stubborn about telling me," He said, placing his hand on her head. She removed his hand from her head, and instead let it intertwine with hers. She raced across the street, dragging him with her.

"Well? What are you waiting for, come on!" She smiled as she tugged him along with her. They walked inside the building, and gasped at how nice it was inside. There was a fire place with a few couches surrounding the space in front of it on their left, and on their right was the front counter. Directly in front of them were two bigger main doors that let back out to the outside wonderland.

"Welcome to Snowy Hallow!" One of the front desk people said. It was a middle aged woman with short brown hair. She smiled happily at them as they approached the front desk. "What can we do for you?" Kirino looked to Kyousuke.

"Well?" Kyousuke looked back at her, unsure of what to say.

"Well what?" Kirino sighed as she explained.

"What do you want to do? We can go skiing, snowboarding, tubing, all sorts of things. Take your pick, I'll do all of them so it's up to you." Kirino smiled at him.

"If you say so," Kyousuke paused and placed his hand on her head. "I guess I'd like to go-" He didn't get a chance to finish.

"Kirino!" A voice shouted in the distance. Kirino and Kyousuke turned their heads to see a familiar face running towards them from the doors that led into the snowy wonderland. Kirino's eyes shot open as she realized who it was.

"A- Ayase?" Kirino asked nervously. Ayase ran up to her, and gave her a big hug. Ayase was currently wearing some of the snow gear they give you when you enter the grounds, so she was covered in snow.

"I'm glad you could make it! We were starting to think you weren't going to come!" Ayase smiled at her. She then turned her head to see Kyousuke standing next to her. Her smile quickly turned into a scowl as she looked at him.

"What's he doing here?" Ayase asked displeased. Kirino looked to him desperately; he could tell that she wanted him to think of some kind of excuse.

"I- I-" Kyousuke stumbled over his words. For once he couldn't think of anything to say.

"He was just…dropping me off. Mom and dad took the car for the night so I had him bring me here since I wasn't sure exactly where it was," Kirino laughed awkwardly as she lied through her teeth. Kyousuke looked to her, sadness all over his face.

"…Yeah. Just dropping her off…" His voice trailed off as he looked back to Ayase.

"Well then? She's here isn't she? You don't need to stay here any longer." Ayase snapped at him. Kyousuke knew that she didn't like him, but this seemed like it was taken to a whole new level. Kyousuke gave one last desperate look to Kirino, and then started to head out the door. Kirino was frowning as he walked away.

"Come on Kirino! Kanako is waiting for us!" Ayase took Kirino by the hand, and dragged her back to the front desk where she was able to get the snow gear she needed. Ayase led her to the changing rooms, and then left her alone so she could put on her equipment. Kirino used this time to pull out her phone and text Kyousuke.

'Kyousuke, this wasn't supposed to happen. I'll explain everything later, but please, don't be mad? 3' She flipped her phone shut, and began to change.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyousuke hung his head low as he walked out of the building. He was saddened of course, but he knew that it was to be expected sooner or later, but the way Ayase spoke…

"_I'm glad you could make it! We were starting to think you weren't going to come!"_ He let her words ring through his head. Kirino seemed just as surprised as he did when they saw Ayase, but the way Ayase made it look, she had been waiting on Kirino. Kirino wouldn't toy with him like this would she? Take him out just to have Ayase slam him to the ground? No. Kirino wouldn't sink that low…would she? Had he done something to piss her off? He couldn't think of anything.

"No matter," He sighed as he walked down the street. "Maybe I'll just go some place and get something to eat." He was puzzling the thought of where to go around in his head when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. Seeing that it was a message from Kirino, he opened it up instantly. He read her message, and then flipped his phone back shut. He was now very confused, but he trusted that Kirino would keep her word and explain it later. And what was with the heart? She was never the type to use such sappy things, and saying things like 'please don't be mad?' Kirino might have actually felt bad for what happened. Maybe she honestly didn't know that Ayase was going to be there. Kyousuke shook his head.

"Kirino said she'll explain later so I need to do something to keep my mind off of it," He mumbled. As he walked down the street he kept his eyes open for a place to sit down and eat. While he was searching for a store he heard somebody shout out to him.

"Kyou-chan!" Kyousuke turned his head to see Manami running towards him from across the street.

"_Is everybody we know out and about right now?_" Kyousuke thought as Manami approached him.

"Hi Kyou-chan!" Manami said smiling as she greeted him.

"Hey Manami," Kyousuke replied.

"Are you okay Kyou-chan?" She asked. Kyousuke hadn't noticed, but sadness was apparent in his voice.

"Uh..yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Kyousuke tried to brush it off, but he couldn't.

"You know you can't lie to me, now come on. What's the matter?"

"It's just…girls."

"Girls?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I just need to do something to keep my mind occupied. I was going to get something to eat, and that's when you found me."

"How about we go out and eat together?" Manami blushed as she lowered her head. Kyousuke looked to her, and then back towards where he had walked from. He could see the Ski lift in the distance, taking people from one side of the place to the other. He knew that Kirino would have a fit if she knew he was going out to eat alone with Manami, but Kyousuke was hungry, and Kirino was with Ayase…so screw it.

"Sure, do you have any place in mind?" Manami got excited over the fact that he actually agreed to go out and do something with her. He had been a little more distant from her than usual in the previous months, so she was happy that he was willing to spend time with her.

"W- well if you don't mind traveling, there's this place in Akihabara that I've been wanting to try…" Kyousuke glanced at his watch. '6:12'. It would take about an hour to get there and an hour to get back which left him with plenty of time to get home. He had the time but did he want to chance being gone out of town if Kirino happened to leave before he got back? Then he would be dead for sure.

"Sorry Manami, but I don't think I can go as far as Akihabara. It is Christmas Eve after all, I think we should stay around here. Besides, dad want's Kirino and I back at a decent time tonight."

"Oh… that's alright… we can go someplace in town."

"Maybe some other time we can go out of town." Manami raised her head and smiled at him.

"Okay!" Kyousuke smiled back at her.

"So, looks like we're back to where we started. Where should we go?"

"Wherever you want Kyou-chan," She replied, smiling at him still.

"Let's keep it simple then. There's a café a few blocks ahead that's really good, I go there with Kirino all the-" he stopped himself. He turned away from Manami and started walking. "Come on, let's go," He said walking away.

"R- Right!" Manami stumbled over her feet as she walked beside Kyousuke.

"You know, you've been spending a lot of time with Kirino lately, not that that's a bad thing, but last I knew you guys hadn't spoken in weeks and then out of nowhere she wanted to hang out with you and now you two are practically inseparable." Manami wasn't helping him take his mind off of things at all. He knew that she was right, they were practically inseparable. Kirino was usually always by his side, whether she was acting the snotty sister role or the cute girlfriend, she was always there.

"You think so? I haven't really noticed," He laughed as he looked away from her.

"And the way she looks at you sometimes…it's like she's watching you like a hawk. Sometimes it looks like she wants to hug you, other times it looks like she wants to punch you."

"The punching I can understand, but hug? Come on, you have to remember who you're talking about here." Kyousuke laughed again as he tried to defend Kirino's stubborn attitude. Manami didn't buy it, but she would let it go for now.

"May I ask why it is that you two have become so close recently?" Manami asked him. Kyousuke was starting to get annoyed with all the questions, but he had to answer them in order to avoid suspicion.

"I'm not really sure. We both feel bad that neither one of us was there for each other growing up, so we're trying to make up for it now. Besides, us getting along finally makes mom and dad happy, even if they won't come out and admit it."

"I see…that makes sense. But what about Kirino's friends? If she's spending so much time with you, when does she see them?"

"I don't know…at school I guess? On the weekends? Why does it matter to you when she spends time with her friends?" Kyousuke looked to her with rising suspicion.

"I- it's nothing, forget I asked," Manami laughed and smiled at him. Kyousuke looked at her for a few more seconds, and then turned his attention back in front of him. They had walked a couple blocks and were approaching the café. Kyousuke held the door open for Manami as she stepped inside. He stepped behind her and began to walk to a table. Manami took a seat across from him, and within a few seconds they were greeted by a blond haired waitress.

"Hello Kyousuke!" The waitress said smiling. She set down two glasses of water on the table, along with two menus. Kyousuke forced a smile back at her as she set them down.

"Hello Ruka. I'll have the usual." Kyousuke said in a monotone like voice.

"No problem, and I take it Kirino will have the- oh, my apologies," the waitress bowed her head to Manami. "I haven't seen your face around here before, normally Kyousuke only comes in with his sister."

"It's fine really," Manami replied bashfully.

"So Kyousuke, is this your girlfriend?" Ruka asked, nudging him on the shoulder. Kyousuke was in the middle of taking a drink when she asked that. The question nearly made him spit water out all over the place. He coughed as he gulped down the water.

"N- no! We're not like that! We're just friends! Friends!" Kyousuke shouted in a panic. The waitress giggled as she turned back to Manami. Kyousuke let out a sigh as he leaned his elbows on the table and rested his head on his hands.

"What can I get for you?" She asked Manami. Manami was still looking at the menu.

"Uhm…I'm not sure. What's good Kyou-chan?"

"Huh? Everything is good. Just pick something."

"What'd you get?"

"The same thing I always get. An omelet."

"That sounds good," Manami paused and turned to the waitress. "I'll have one too." Ruka picked up the menus, and turned away from them. Kyousuke remained quiet as he kept sipping at his water. Manami was the one to break the silence.

"You know Kyou-chan, you still haven't come over like you said you would."

"I know. I will soon though, it's just trying to find the time."

"Well how about tonight? You don't have to stay, but you could help us decorate the place for tomorrow. We're baking cookies and all sorts of sweets as well." Manami's face lit up as she expressed her joy.

"I already told you, dad want's us home-"

"You'll be back in time, I'll make sure of it! We can get to my house by around six forty-five and you'll be home no later than 8:30."

"Manami…"

"Please Kyou-chan?" Manami looked to him with puppy dog like eyes. Kyousuke thought about what Kirino would say as he looked into Manami's eyes. If it was only for a couple hours, and they were only baking sweets and decorating, there's no harm done right?

"Fine… but only for a little bit. I need to be home by nine." Kyousuke told her. He knew he was lying, but he wanted to spend the time between nine and ten with Kirino so he could give her his present to her.

"Really?!" Manami shouted surprised. Kyosuke flinched a little at her loud voice. Manami blushed embarrassed.

"You're right, I have been a little distant lately, besides, I haven't been over there in a while. Poor Gramps is probably just dying to toy with me some more."

"They'll all be happy to see you." Manami smiled at him. Kyousuke stared at the table, letting his mind wander. He was doing a bad job of not thinking about Kirino. Ever since they had started dating, Kyousuke's attitude towards Kirino had changed. He worried about her more, he cared about her opinions more, he cared about her more. He wasn't sure why, because nothing had really changed. They would occasionally hold hands and cuddle and do other couple like stuff, but only when nobody else was around. Other than that, their lives hadn't changed at all, but yet Kyousuke felt different about her, in a good way.

"Kyou-chan?" Manami asked. Her voice snapped him back to reality. He looked up from the table and into her eyes.

"Hmm?" He mumbled back.

"You look sad," Manami said, her smile turning into a frown. Kyousuke forced another smile as he reached over the table and placed his hand on her head, messing up her hair.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," He told her chuckling a little. Manami tried to smile back, but it soon faded away. Kyousuke could see that she was concerned. "Seriously, I'm fine. Let's just eat, and then go back to your place."

"Okay," Manami said, still trying to work a smile across her face. They sat in silence for a couple minutes, but then their food arrived. Ruka set down their plates in front of them, along with a thing of silverware.

"There you are, enjoy! I'm off now, so I'll see you later Kyousuke! Nice meeting your 'friend'," Ruka laughed as she walked away from their table. Kyousuke sighed as he watched her walk away. He unraveled his silverware from the napkin they were bundled up in, and began to cut up his omelet. Manami did the same. Kyousuke was slow to eat his meal as his mind would often distract him from eating. Manami watched him twirl his food around on his fork for a few minutes before eventually eating it.

Manami finished her plate well before Kyousuke, he still had at least half a plate full of food by the time she was done.

"I'm starting to worry Kyou-chan, I'm usually always the slowest eater, and you usually pig out and demolish anything you can get your hands on," Manami tried to bush it off as a joke, but she was being serious. She was starting to worry about him

"Let's just go. I'll grab a box and just take the rest of this with me." Kyousuke said standing up out of his chair.

"I was just joking Kyou-chan, we can stay until you're done."

"No it's fine. We should probably get going anyways otherwise we'll run out of time. We're already off schedule since it's almost seven." Manami watched as Kyousuke went up to the front to get a box. A small woman with short brown hair handed him the box at the front register.

"Thank you," He told her, taking the box from her hands. The women nodded her head and walked away. He walked back to the table and put the rest of his omelet into the small white box, and then closed the lid. He motioned for Minami to follow him, and then they walked out the door. They took a few steps outside when Kyousuke stopped.

"Oh shoot," He said turning around.

"What's the matter?" Manami asked him.

"Forgot to leave a tip. I'll be right back." Kyousuke handed Manami his box and then walked back inside the building. He made his way back to the register where the same women greeted him.

"How may I help you?" She asked him.

"I was just here but I forgot to leave a tip. Could you give this to Ruka for me next time she works?" He asked, handing her some money.

"Sure thing. Have a nice day," The lady took the money and put it in an envelope. She slid the envelope into the register, and then walked away. Kyousuke slid his wallet back into the back pocket of his jeans. He walked outside, and made his way back to Manami.

"Ready?" He asked her, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets. Manami nodded her head and smiled. Kyousuke took a few steps forward and stood beside Manami. They were about to start walking when Kyousuke happened to turn his head and look into the windows of the café. He paused his steps as he looked into the window, and there at the front register where he had just been, was Kirino, Ayase, and Kanako. Ayase and Kanako were talking to the lady at the register, but Kirino was looking right at him, and the two locked eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the late update! My internet was down all day, and is just now finally coming back on! I've been having some trouble getting my stuff to upload, but i think i finally got it. So again, sorry for the late update, but here's the next part! Oh, and just to clear up any confusion, this chapter will be from Kirino's point of view after her and Kyousuke get separated. Last chapter was Kyousuke's, this chapter is Kirino's.

"Kirino, are you ready yet?" Ayase asked annoyed. She had come back to where Kirino was, and was standing outside the changing room. Kirino had slipped on the snow gear and was almost ready. She was a little sad that Kyousuke didn't reply to her text, but that was usual. He usually didn't reply unless he had too. That was one thing that not even Kirino could change. Kyousuke would always be lazy to some degree. Kirino secured her phone in her pants pocket, just in case Kyousuke decided to respond, and then she stepped outside of the room. She was wearing her hat still, and her gloves. She also had on long black baggy snow pants over her regular pants, and had on a bulky white jacket. Ayase was pretty much wearing the same things as the two reunited.

"Finally! Kanako is waiting! Let's go!" Ayase shouted happily as she grabbed Kirino by the hand. She turned around and started to run with Kirino.

"Where are we going?" Kirino asked. Sadness was apparent in her voice, even though she tried to hide it.

"Kanako is over by the skiing hill, she said that she was going to try and go down the hill there a few times while she waits. We'll have to take the ski lift to get there, but it's not very long, and plus you get a great view of the city," Ayase replied. Ayase dragged Kirino out to the vast outside of the building, where there were tons of people playing in the snow, getting ready for tubing or snowboarding, waiting for the ski lift, all sorts of things.

"This place is huge," Kirino mumbled impressed.

"Sure is! Why do you think I chose this place?" Ayase laughed. Kirino looked to her and faked a smile.

"That reminds me…I thought that you were planning on doing this next weekend?" Ayase looked to her a little confused.

"Didn't you get my email saying that I was switching it to today since they were offering discounts on tickets with it being Christmas Eve and all. And plus they're open later than usual, even though I don't plan on staying all night, they're open till midnight!" Kirino shook her head as she listened to Ayase.

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it I did get your email," Kirino regretted lying to her best friend, but she couldn't help it. She might've gotten the email, but she didn't read it. She had no idea that it was getting changed to this weekend. "But unfortunately dad want's me and Kyousuke back by 10, so I can't stay that long anyways." Ayase shuttered in disgust as she said his name.

"Speaking of that creep, you couldn't have found anybody else to bring you here?" Ayase asked, a little angry. Kirino stumbled over her words as she replied.

"I- it was convenient for me! He knew how to get here and there wasn't anybody else around." There she goes again with the lies.

"At least you got here alright…I don't trust him. He's been hanging around you pretty close the last few weeks, it's kind of really creepy." Kirino blushed a little.

"H- he's just been helping me with some stuff is all!" Kirino shouted back defensively. Ayase looked at her confused again.

"Stuff that I can't help you with?"

"Well…you see, uh, we were…..looking for presents for mom and dad!" Kirino laughed awkwardly as she thought of the quick excuse. "We wanted it to be a total surprise so we didn't tell anybody." Ayase smiled as she grabbed Kirino's hands.

"That's so like you Kirino! Can you tell me what you got them?" Ayase sounded excited. Kirino slipped her hands out of Ayase's, as she smiled awkwardly.

"Not yet, it's not Christmas yet." Ayase frowned in disappointment, but soon let it pass over as she turned back to the giant snowy park.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's perfect. We should get going though, Kanako probably thinks we're not coming." Ayase walked towards the ski lift, Kirino followed close behind her. Even though she hated lying to her best friend, she was glad that she bought into it.

The line for the lift wasn't as long as it could've been, but there were a few people ahead of them. It was moving pretty fast though, and soon they were able to claim one.

"Hand's up," The staff member said as the two girls sat down into the seats. The raised up their hands as the attendant moved the safety bar down over their laps. "No rocking or swaying, and don't drop anything while you're on the lift." The attendant told them as their cart began to lift off the ground.

"I always like riding these things!" Ayase said happily. "I find them relaxing and enjoyable."

"You find everything that's not work relaxing and enjoyable," Kirino laughed.

"That's true," Ayase laughed as well. As the lift began to make its way across the park, Kirino looked out into the distance. She could see people walking in the streets, and in the far distance she spotted the café that her and Kyosuke would often go to.

"Hey Ayase, do you think after we get done here we could go to the café that's uptown for dinner?" Kirino asked as she began to let her mind wander about food.

"We'll have to ask Kanako but I don't have a problem with it. I don't think I've ever been there, but I've heard its good."

"It's amazing! I go there all the time with Kyo-" she stopped herself. "I mean, I make Kyousuke bring me food from there all the time!" Ayase raised an eyebrow in suspicion as Kirino quickly corrected herself. Kirino looked away from her as they continued to rind the lift. A few minutes past with neither of them saying anything, but then the lift soon came to a stop. As it approached the ground, the attendants on the other side raised their safety bar.

"Watch your step," One of them said, offering out his hand. He helped them both off the lift, and escorted them to the exit. "Skiing is just up ahead, and snowboarding will be on your left," He said pointing.

"Thank you," Ayase said bowing her head. Kirino did the same, and then the two set off to find Kanako.

"So where's Kanako at?" Kirino asked as they started walking.

"At the skiing hill remember? She said she was going to try it a few times while she waited. It's not very far from here, just walk this way a little and-" Ayase stopped talking when she heard the voice of somebody screaming.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" the voice shouted.

"Speaking of Kanako…" Ayase mumbled.

"That voice could only belong to one person," Kirino laughed as they approached their destination. As the ski hills became visible, a familiar face stood out to them. Kanako was grasping some boy by the collar around his neck and was inches from his face.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" The boy was pleading. He looked like he was their age, maybe a little younger, but was definitely in middle school. Kanako was growling at him as she tightened her grip.

"Kanako, what are you doing?!" Ayase yelled rushing up next to her.

"This little pervert touched my butt!" She snapped.

"It was an accident!" The boy continued to plead.

"Just let him go, there's no need to make a big deal out of this," Ayase sighed.

"Not a big deal?! What if this is just the beginning! He could be harassing all the girls at this park!" Kanako glared back to him, not letting up one bit.

"Look at him Kanako! He's like twelve, and he looks like he's about ready to wet himself!" Kanako continued to glare at him until one of the ski attendants walked up to them.

"Hey! What's going on here?" The attendant yelled. He was a man that looked to be in his forties. He had a scruffy beard, and was quite physically toned.

"This little pervert touched my butt!"

"On accident! It was an accident!"

"I understand that you might be angry, but please let him go. We do not tolerate violence here, and you may be asked to leave." Kanako looked to him, very much agitated.

"Violence?! I'll show you violence!" She let go of the boy and made an approach towards the attendant. She only took two steps before he had his arms around her body, locking her in place.

"Kanako!" Ayase yelled running up to her. "I'm really sorry about her, she can be a bit stubborn at times." Ayase said bowing her head in apology. Kirino felt awkward as she stood behind Ayase.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you and your friends to leave miss," the attendant said trying to keep Kanako from squirming out of his grip.

"What?! Leave?!"

"There are too many people here for us to keep track of. Please just get back on the lift, and head towards the entrance, or I can have security come and take you out. It's your choice lady," the attendant scowled at her. Kirino walked up next to Ayase.

"We just got here though!" Kirino yelled.

"Take it to the front desk," the attendant replied. He let Kanako go, and she stumbled over to Ayase and Kirino.

"Let's go," Kanako grunted angrily.

"But Kanako!" Kirino said.

"This place is stupid. Waste of time," Kanako walked away from them and started towards the lift. Kirino sighed as her and Ayase began to follow her. Kirino was kind of bummed out that she didn't' get to do anything but ride the ski lift, but at the same time it would make the experience better should she ever come back here with Kyousuke. The three girls got back on the lift, and began to head back.

"I'm sorry Kirino," Ayase said softly. Kirino looked to her. "Kanako and I have been here for an hour at least while waiting on you, but you weren't even here a half hour before we had to leave."

"Don't worry about it, at least now we can go and get something to eat. I'm starving!" Kirino let out a smile.

"Oh yeah, we need to as Kanako." Ayase turned her attention towards her. "Do you care if we go to the café that's uptown for dinner?"

"I don't care. Anywhere is better than here," She replied still mad. Ayase and Kirino let out a sigh.

"You're never coming here again are you?" Ayase asked as she chuckled.

"Nope," Kanako replied boldly. The rest of the way back was silent as Kirino let her mind wander off. She was thinking about Kyousuke surprisingly. She was upset that she didn't get to spend time with him, because it's not very often that she does something for him and when she does she's really bad at trying to be affectionate. It usually ends up with her yelling at him, or hitting him, or anything besides being nice. She's been trying to get better, but it's hard for her. She's hated him for so long, that it's making it difficult for her to feel anything beyond hate. Of course she has some kind of feelings for him, but she could never come out and show them. If she does, she does it in her own way. It's what made her Kirino.

As the lift came to a stop back where they came from, the three got off, and made their way back to the front.

"I'll tell them we're leaving if you want to go get changed," Ayase said talking to Kirino. Kirino nodded her head.

"Okay, I'll meet you up at the front desk then." As they walked into the building, Kirino and Kanako headed towards the changing room, and Ayase headed to the front desk. It took her a lot less time to take everything off than it did to put it on, she was in and out in under five minutes. She bundled up everything that belonged to the place, and headed back to the front desk. Ayase was waiting patiently up at the counter.

"All done," Kirino said, placing the gear on the counter.  
"That was fast," Ayase replied. "You're turn to wait. I'm going to take my stuff off now; I'll be back in a few minutes." Ayase walked away from Kirino and into the changing room. Kirino waited at the front desk for a few minutes, but was soon approached by the same lady that had greeted her when they first arrived.

"Sorry about that, how may I help you?" The lady asked smiling.

"We're just dropping off our equipment," Kirino said, pushing her gear towards her.

"Leaving already?"

"Unfortunately," Kirino laughed a little.

"Well I hope you have a nice rest of Christmas Eve, and a very wonderful Christmas. Come back again sometime!" The lady behind the desk gave her another smile, and then grabbed the gear that Kirino had turned in. It wasn't too much longer before Kanako and Ayase both appeared with their gear as well. The lady got all of them accounted for, and then they left the building.

"This café isn't very far right Kirino?" Ayase asked. Kirino shook her head.

"Nope. It's a few blocks this way, it should take us about ten minute's tops to get there." Kirino replied. Kirino led the way as they walked down the sidewalk. Nobody said much on the way, occasionally Ayase would point out something in the windows of stores they passed, but other than that it was pretty quiet. After about ten minutes of walking, they approached the café. They stepped inside, and made their way to the front counter.

"Before we do anything, I need to go to the bathroom," Ayase said, cringing a little.

"Me too," Kanako replied. The two looked around for the bathroom, but had no idea where it was. Kirino sighed as she motioned them to follow her.

"I'll show you where they're at," Kirino said walking away. As she led them to the bathroom she thought she heard a familiar voice coming from the front counter, but she just brushed it off, thinking nothing of it.

"Here they are," Kirino said stopping in front of the restroom sign. "Girls is on the left." Kirino stood outside the doors as Kanako and Ayase stepped inside. Kirino rested her head on the wall, and was thinking about the voice she heard earlier. She knew she recognized it, but she couldn't put a face to the voice. It was a girls voice for sure, but she couldn't think of who. Her thought process was broken when Ayase and Kanako came out of the bathroom laughing.

"What's so funny?" Kirino asked them.

"Nothing!"

"Nothing at all!" The two laughed.

"Seriously! Tell me!" Kirino yelled.

"It's nothing!"

"Don't worry about it!" They walked away from Kirino and started back towards the front counter. Kirino followed them very curious as to what they were laughing about. When they got to the counter they were greeted by a women that was working the register.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the woman asked.

"Table for 3 please!" Ayase said smiling. As Ayase spoke to the women, something caught Kirino's attention. She looked outside at a girl that was standing out there, and she definitely knew this girl.

"Neighbor girl..?" She mumbled to herself. A few seconds passed before the girl was joined by a boy. A boy she knew quite well. As they walked away, the boy turned his head and looked inside the café, and locked eyes with Kirino.


	4. Chapter 4

"K-Kirino..?" Kyousuke mumbled softly. He was unsure what to do. Should he go in and talk to her? Probably not because Ayase and Kanako would only bash on him. Should he walk away from her? That's not a good choice either, Kirino would probably kill him. She's probably wanting to know what he's doing with Manami, but he wanted to know why she wasn't still at Snowy Hallow. They should have been there for an hour at the very least.

"Kyou-chan..?" Manami asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Huh?" He said, quickly reacting to her hand touching his shoulder. He turned his attention away from the window and towards Manami.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I-" before he finished his sentence he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the message. It was from Kirino.

'Inside. Now.' Was what the message read. Kyousuke gulped as he could almost hear her anger in the message.

"…I just have to use the bathroom is all, he he," He laughed awkwardly as he walked back towards the entrance to the café.

"Oh…okay then. Should I wait outside for you?"

"Yeah, yeah. I shouldn't take too long…I hope…" He gulped once again as he walked inside the café. Ayase and Kanako were already siting at a table on the far side of the café so he shouldn't have too much trouble staying out of their sight. Kirino was already waiting outside the girl's bathroom door, and she was glaring at him. He quickly made his way over to her, but before he could say anything she grabbed him and shoved him into the girl's bathroom. She walked in after him with her hands on her hips and an evil glare being shot towards Kyousuke.

"Kirino what the hell?! This is the GIRL'S bathroom!"

"Shut up!" Kirino snapped, holding back a slap. Kyousuke was intimidated by her anger, but that didn't last very long. She often got angry at him, so it became easier to not let her intimidate him.

"What the hell are you doing out with neighbor girl?!" Kirino shouted.

"We were just eating is all! I was going to go help her and her family decorate their place for the holidays because I thought that you would be at the snow place the rest of the night! And by the way, what the hell?! You drag me all the way across town to that place and then ditch me?! I understand that running into Ayase is problematic and that we need to make sure that nobody finds out about us, but Ayase acted like you were supposed to be there with her! Like she was expecting you!" Kyousuke retaliated loudly. Kirino's face turned even angrier, and then she let it fall to a soft frown.

"I didn't mean for that to happen!" She yelled sincerely. "It was supposed to be a fun date between us…we never get the chance to go out together besides the café and the occasional store in Akihabara. Ayase was planning a get together between us girls at that place, but it was supposed to be next weekend. She sent out an email saying that it was changed to today because of later hours and a discount on tickets, but I never read it… I didn't know…" Her voice was sincere and quiet, total opposite of earlier.

"I see…" Kyousuke mumbled back. He walked up to Kirino and embraced her in his arms. "I know it's hard for you to show affection, but I know you care. I really appreciated that you tried to do something nice for me, even if it backfired. It means a lot that you even tried, considering our past hasn't been the greatest." Kirino laid limp in his arms for a few minutes before pushing him away.

"Enough with the mushy mushy crap, it makes me want to puke," Kirino pretended to get sick as she shoved him off.

"You're unbelievable!" Kyosuke sighed as he went to leave the bathroom. He was about to leave when he felt Kirino grab onto his hand. She pulled him towards her and planted her lips on his. The kiss only lasted a couple seconds and then it was over. Kirino pulled herself away from Kyousuke, and then glared into his eyes. Kyousuke backed away as he felt like her eyes were piercing his body.

"Wh- what's that look for?" He asked nervously.

"When do you plan on giving me my Christmas present?" She asked boldly.

"What?! How in the world did the subject get changed so fast?!"

"Don't dance around the question!"

"You have no patience at all…" Kirino took a couple steps towards him, and he took a couple steps back.

"Well?" She asked impatiently waiting his response.

"If you really want to know I was going to give it to you tonight when we got home." Kirino smiled at him.

"So you did get me one," She smirked at him. He sighed as he realized that she was just fishing for information.

"Of course I did. You are my girlfriend." His eyes rolled away from her face as he said it. "Speaking of that, what time did you plan on going home? I know dad said that we could be out till 10 but I might be home earlier than that. Like 8 or 8:30, however long it takes to put up the decorations and eat a few snacks." Kirino let out a tsk as she remembered he was going off with Manami.

"I planned on going home after we got done eating here."

"Text me when you're home I guess, and I'll try to meet you there as soon as I can. Oh, and don't go trying to snoop for your present because you'll never find it."

"Fine fine," She replied. She still sounded annoyed, but not as bad as she used to. She was slightly more secure about their relationship so she tried not to get as jealous as she used too.

As they got ready to walk out of the bathroom, the sound of Ayase's voice could be heard from just a few steps away. She was talking to somebody, Kirino imagined it was Kanako.

"Oh shit," Kirino mumbled. She grabbed Kyousuke by the wrist and shoved him into a stall, slamming and locking the door behind them. The restroom door opened, and Ayase and Kanako stepped inside.

"Kirino? Are you okay? You've been in here quite a while," Ayase asked concerned. Kyousuke was sitting on the toilet cross legged so that his legs weren't visible from the outside, and Kirino sat on his lap. Kirino's scent rushed through Kyousuke's nose and he found it hard to stop smelling her hair.

"Y- yeah I'm fine! No worries!" She laughed.

"Alright, well the waiter is waiting on you so hurry up," Ayase said turning around.

"Yeah seriously, I'm hungry," Kanako added. Just as quick as they showed up, they walked back out. Kirino stood up off of Kyousuke's lap, and then turned and smacked him across the face.

"OUCH!" Kyousuke shouted in pain. "What the hell was that for?!"

"I could feel you sniffing my hair you creep!" Kyousuke blushed, giving away that he was guilty. Kirino shuttered a little bit. "Weirdo…" She mumbled. She walked out of the stall, and Kyousuke followed behind her. Once again they were about to walk out when the door slightly opened again.

"Oh Kirino I forgot to tell you-" Ayase started to say. In the short time that they had to react, Kirino turned and Spartan kicked Kyousuke back into the stall that they had just walked out of. Once Kyousuke was out of sight for the time being, she quickly made her way to the door and ran into Ayase.

"Tell me what?" Kirino asked pushing Ayase out the door. Kyousuke couldn't make out what it was that Ayase told her because their voices trailed off as the bathroom door swung back and forth. Kyousuke had hit his head against the bathroom wall, and was trying to regain his focus. When he finally regained himself he stepped out of the stall and met eyes with a rather large African American woman.

"_Well…shit._" Kyousuke thought as he awkwardly locked eyes with this lady.

"Uh, I think you have the wrong bathroom," The woman said with an attitude.

"This isn't the men's?" Kyousuke tried to play dumb, but failed.

"Do you see any urinals in here? Get yo ass out of here," She sassed him. He quickly bolted out of the door, and ran to the entrance, trying to cover his face as he left the girls bathroom. He ran out the door and looked around for Manami. He didn't think anybody saw him, but he didn't want to stick around to find out. After a couple seconds of searching he found Manami only a few steps away from where they had been earlier. He walked up to her casually.

"Yo," He said, catching her off guard a little. She jumped at his voice, but then smiled as he joined her side.

"There you are, I was getting worried," She replied. Kyousuke put his hand on the back of his head as he responded.  
"I think the food had a fight with my stomach and lost." He laughed as he said it. Manami shuttered a little as the thought crossed her mind. "Well no matter, I'm ready to go now, are you?" She smiled at him and nodded her head.

"Yes!" Kyousuke rested his hands in his jacket pockets and started to walk with Manami to her house. He took one last glance inside the café before they set off, and in the far distance he could see Kirino sitting at a booth with Ayase and Kanako. She was looking back at him, and then turned her attention back to the other girls and started to laugh. Kyousuke smiled as he walked away. Things didn't go as bad as they could have, Kirino was definitely a lot calmer about it than he thought. Things started out pretty heated, but she calmed herself quickly. He liked this new side of Kirino. It showed that she was maturing, sure she still had a ways to go but every path has its stepping stones.

Sorry for such a short chapter but I'm building up for the final chapter which I plan to be much longer than the others (When I was counting down the weeks when I started I accidentally missed one so I was planning on this week being the final chapter, so I had to write a filler for this week just so I could post something. So again, my apologies. But! There's a but! Next chapter Kirino gets her present, the two end up getting to spend some time with each other, and it'll be an ending that'll blow ya mind!


	5. Chapter 5

"No Kyosuke! That one goes over there!" Manami was shouting at him. He was hanging up Christmas wreaths on the doors around the shop. Apparently the one with the pink bow went on the front door was what he was gathering from Manami's shouts. While he was hanging these, Manami and her Grandmother were in the kitchen preparing cookies and other snacks. Gramps was helping Manami's little brother place ornaments on their tree that stood tall in the living room. That was pretty much it for people that were there, but despite the lack of numbers things were still pretty wild.

"Where? Here?" Kyousuke asked adjusting the new wreath on the outside of the door. He was moving the wreath with one hand, and with the other he was holding a box that had even more wreaths in them. He had the box propped up against his hip, and was holding it there with his free hand.

"A little lower…lower…there! That's good," Manami smiled as he listened to her commands.

"That shouldn't leave too many more right? Just the back door ?" Kyousuke asked her looking inside the box.

"Did you get the side door already?"

"Yeah."

"And the ones upstairs?"

"Done."

"Hmm…and you just did the front door…well then yes, the back door should be the last one."

"Alright. How much longer till the cookies are done?" Manami poked her head back into the kitchen and glanced at the timer on the oven.

"They have a few minutes left. They should be done, or very close to done by the time you get done hanging up the last wreath." Kyousuke smiled as he thought about the cookies. They made all sorts of them, sugar, chocolate chip, snicker doodle, and M&M. Trying to focus on getting his job done first, he walked past the Christmas tree and made his way to the back. On the way, he was stopped by Gramps.

"Kyousuke!" He hollered in his usual tone. Kyousuke turned his head over his shoulder and looked at him.

"Hmm?" He mumbled.

"What did you get our dear Manami for Christmas? Oh ho! Maybe it's the gift of taking if you know what I mean," He laughed as he made implications with his hands. Kyousuke flushed red at his statement.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Kyousuke shouted, trying to quickly walk away from him. Even Manami's younger brother scooted away from the old man. He continued to laugh as Kyousuke made his way to the back of the shop. He sighed as he placed the box on the ground and picked up the wreath that was lying inside. He fussed with it for a few minutes before it finally decided to stay in place. As he finished up placing the decorations, a thought crossed his mind.

"_I wonder what Kirino is doing…_" He thought. He smiled and let out a chuckle as he continued the thought. "_Knowing her, I bet she's tearing my room apart trying to find her present._" Once the wreath was in place, Kyousuke picked the box back up, and made his way to the kitchen.

* * *

"Damn you Kyousuke! Where did you hide it?!" Kirino shouted as she pulled her head out from underneath Kyousuke's bed. "I've checked under the bead, in his closet, in his clothes drawer, where the hell could it be?!" Kirino gritted her teeth in frustration. She sat down on his floor and placed her index finger on her forehead. Since she had the house to herself, there wasn't anywhere she couldn't look.

"Let's see…if I were Kyousuke where would I put a gift for my dear sweet loving amazingly talented girlfriend...definitely someplace I would never look but…I've already searched in his clothes drawer. That creep better not have hid it someplace in the bathroom! No, there's no place to hide it there...ugh! I need to take a break…" Kirino stood up from his floor. She walked towards his door, and left his room. She then made her way into her room, and took a seat at her computer desk. She turned on her computer and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. While she waited for the computer to start up, she let a few thoughts cross her mind. She was thinking about earlier, and how her present to Kyousuke was interrupted by Ayase. She opened her eyes and glanced towards the clock. '7:55'

"I should probably tell him that I'm home," She mumbled. She pulled out her phone, and pulled up her messages list. She clicked on the last one she had received from him, and hit the reply button.

'I'm home.' Was all the message said. She debated whether or not she wanted to take one last look around for her present before she sent the message. She weighed the idea around in her head for a minute or two, but eventually decided just to send the message. The only reason she didn't feel like looking around again was because that meant she wouldn't be able to play any games. She hit the send button, and placed her phone on the desk. The desktop of the computer was done starting up, and could be accessed freely now. Kirino smiled as she debated which one of her thousands of eroge games she wanted to play.

"_Hmm…what to play what to play! So many choices! So many little sisters…_" She started to lose her grip on reality as her gaming self took over. She spun around in her chair like a child as she giggled to herself. Eventually she decided on one that had just recently come out, and was Christmas themed. "I haven't played this one since it came out," She mumbled getting the game set up. She sighed as the startup screen appeared for the game, and showed that she only had 27% of the content unlocked. "I remember why I stopped playing…so much content…so many routes…so many choices…" She sighed. She quickly turned her lack of motivation into determination, and stood up out of her chair. "I need snacks, and a lot of drinks!" She yelled. She bolted out of her room and down the stairs into the kitchen. She turned on the oven, and began digging around from some bowls and a cookie sheet.

"Let's see…what to bake…what sounds good? Chocolate chip? Nah to original…snicker doodle? …I don't feel like it. To hell with it, sugar it is," She said as she pulled out the cookie sheet. She put her hair up in a ponytail and dug out an apron her mother often used. She tied it around her waist and started digging out the ingredients.

* * *

"These are delicious!" Kyousuke yelled biting down into one of Manami's chocolate chip cookies. Manami's face lit up a little with joy.

"Do you really like them?" She asked, blushing a little. Kyousuke nodded his head vigorously as he continued to demolish the cookie. It didn't take him long to have it gone, and he was soon reaching for more. By this time they were all sitting around the table they had set up in the kitchen. There were cookies of all sorts spread around, along with some other treats. Each person had a glass of milk in front of them also.

"Not so fast, you'll make yourself sick," Manami's grandmother said in her usual cheerful voice. Kyosuke blushed a little as he had multiple cookies in his mouth. He gulped them all down and quickly washed them down with a glass of milk. While he was sipping down some milk he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He finished his drink and set the glass back down before pulling his phone out. He flipped it open and saw that it was from Kirino.

'I'm home.' Was all it said. Kyosuke flipped his phone shut, and stood up from the table.

"Thank you for the treats. I have to head out, but I'm sure I'll be back," Kyosuke said getting ready to leave.

"Wait Kyousuke!" Manami shouted shooting up from her seat. Kyousuke paused and turned his head.

"Hmm?" He grumbled.

"Uhm…could you wait here for just a minute?" She asked bashfully.

"Huh? Sure I guess?" He replied confused. Manami took her leave from the table and went rushing up the stairs. Kyosuke waited around for a couple minutes before Manami finally made her return. When she came back she had a medium sized box in her hands that was wrapped in green and red wrapping paper.

"Merry Christmas Kyo-chan," Manami said blushing. She extended the box out to him, and he took it from her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"You didn't have to get me a present, now I feel bad because I didn't get you anything," Kyousuke replied smiling.

"That's okay! You helping out set up the shop is enough of a gift." Manami returned the smile back to him.

"You're such a typical girl. The smallest things are always enough," He placed his hand on her head and messed up her hair.

"Well…open it!" She shouted playfully.

"Now?"

"Just do it."

"Fine fine, geesh." Kyousuke began to tear off the wrapping paper, revealing a cardboard box inside. The box had a line of tape going down the middle, keeping it closed. Kyosuke dug his nails underneath, and after a few attempts he was able to rip it off. He opened the box and pulled out a black leather jacket. He was a little surprised when he saw what it was.

"Wow Manami, you REALLY didn't have to spend this much on me," He said sarcastically.

"Well… every time I see you you're always freezing so I thought that if I got you a new jacket you'd remember to wear it more. Besides, I was able to get the jacket with an amazing discount so I didn't spend much on it at all."

"Thanks a lot Manami, I love it." He slipped the jacket on to make sure that it fit, and then decided just to keep it on. "Fits perfectly."

"I'm glad you like it." Kyousuke smiled at her, and then waved goodbye.

"Thanks again Manami, I'll see you around. Bye everybody," Kyousuke said his goodbyes and then he was out the door and on his way home. He wished that the leather jacket had a hood, but he wasn't complaining. He rested his hands in the pockets and made his way back to his house where Kirino was waiting for him.

It didn't take him long to get there, and when he did he opened the front door and slipped inside.

"I'm home," He said slipping off his shoes. He also decided that it would probably be best if he took off the jacket at the door, that way he could avoid telling Kirino that it was from Manami. Once it was off, he began to walk through his house, and the first thing he noticed was that the house was unusually noisy. He could hear Kirino, and it sounded like she was in the kitchen. He could hardly understand what she was saying though because the sound of the T.V. was overwhelming. As he walked towards the kitchen the sounds became clearer. He looked into the kitchen and at Kirino who was standing in front of the oven with her hair in a ponytail and wearing an apron. She had some kind of wooden stir spoon in her hand, and it seemed like she was using it as a microphone.

"Meerumerumeru merumerumerume! Meerumerumeru merumerumerume!" She sang passionately. Her voice was matched with that of the T.V. as it was playing an episode of her favorite anime, Stardust Which Meru Meru.

"Having fun?" Kyosuke asked chucking as he stepped into the kitchen, taking Kirino by surprise. She quickly turned around and shot away from him. Being taken by surprise she threw the spoon at him.

"H- how long have you been standing there?!" She asked blushing. Kyosuke grabbed his face where the spoon had hit him.

"OWWWWWW!" He yelled in pain.

"Idiot! That's what you get for sneaking up on me!"

"You didn't have to throw this at me!" He yelled picking the spoon up from off the ground and waving it in her face.

"Give me that!" she said, quickly snatching it from his hands.

"What do you need it for?! What are you doing anyways? You have on mom's apron, listening to music, and your hair is in a ponytail…are you baking by chance?" Kirino blushed again and looked away, and towards the oven.

"So what if I am?" She sassed at him.

"I just didn't take you for the baking type. I knew that you had some skill in cooking, but baking is a different story."

"Idiot, it isn't that hard to bake. All you have to do is follow instructions, but I guess for somebody like you that isn't all that simple is it?" She sighed as she shook her head. Kyousuke got a little flustered at that statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He retaliated. "And like you should be one to talk about following instructions…"

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" She hissed pointing the spoon at him, just inches from his face.

"I bet you went looking for your present didn't you, even though I gave you instructions not too."

"Those are not the same thing!"

"So you did go snooping?!" Kirino backed down a little since she knew she had set herself up in a trap.

"S- so what! I didn't find it and I eventually gave up."

"I told you not to look! And besides, I told you that you'd never find it."

"Yeah yeah so you're good at hiding, what else is new?"

"Hey!" Kyousuke was about to say something, but the ding of the oven going off stopped him. Kirino quickly reacted, and was by the oven in a heartbeat. She turned it off, and then opened it up. She grabbed an oven mitt, and then grabbed a trey that was in the oven. When she pulled it out, the smell of delicious cookies filled the air. Kyousuke was very intrigued.

"Those smell…delicious…" He said nearly drooling. He slowly crept towards Kirino, who was placing them on the counter. Kyousuke went to grab one when she slapped his hand away.

"Idiot, you need to let them cool down first! You'll burn yourself!" Kyousuke retracted his hand to his side and frowned at the cookies. They looked so good. "Hey!" Kirino shouted at him. He turned his head to her, and saw that she was starting to get the dishes together.

"What?"

"Since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful and help me clean these dishes," She said tossing a rag at him. He sighed and walked over to the sink, and started the water. It would take a few seconds before it would get hot, so he helped her gather all the dishes that were around. Surprisingly there weren't that many. The one that caught his attention though was the one that had the remaining cookie dough in it. He picked it up and brought it over to the sink. He stared at it intently, debating whether or not he should eat it.

"You can have some if you want," Kirino said walking up next to him, taking her hair out of the ponytail. It fell to her shoulders with grace. Kyousuke took his index finger and slid it across the bowl, accumulating a good amount of dough. He put his finger in his mouth and sucked it dry.

"You're not doing it right!" Kirino shouted at him.

"How can there be a wrong way to eat cookie dough?!" Kyousuke retaliated.

"Do it like this," Kirino said swiping two fingers across the bowl. Once she had enough dough on them, she smacked her fingers onto Kyosuke's face.

"It's on now," Kyousuke laughed. Kirino smiled back at him.

"Bring it." Kyousuke quickly pulled the bowl towards him, and got some dough on the edge of his middle finger. He then flicked the dough onto Kirino's cheek. She flinched a little, but then made a lunge for the bowl. Kyosuke tried to get a firm grip on it, but Kirino was too quick. She snatched the bowl out of his hands, and put her entire hand in the bowl. She did one quick swipe, and then went after Kyousuke. Once he saw Kirino put her hand in the bowl, he quickly moved. He ran to the kitchen table, and stood behind the chairs. Kirino smiled evilly at him as she stood on the other side. The two played a quick game of cat and mouse, but eventually Kirino made her final move. She quickly dashed around the table, and was able to grab onto Kyousuke's shirt with her hand that didn't have anything on it. She went to smack her hand onto his face, but he caught her wrist in mid swing. With his other hand, and threw it around her waist and pulled her close to him, and then delivered a kiss on her lips. Kirino's hand relaxed as she shared a kiss with Kyousuke. After it was over she looked to her, with a surprised kind of look on her face.

"That was sudden," She said smiling. Kyousuke smiled back, and then let her go. Kirino thought about seizing the moment and delivering the smack to Kyousuke, but she decided not to. Instead she followed him to the sink, and washed it off her hands. They cleaned up their faces and hands, and then started on the dishes

"After we finish, how's about I give you your present?" He said glancing at her. She smiled, but didn't look at him.

"Finally," She replied. Kyousuke sighed and continued to scrub the dishes. It took them about ten minutes to get everything washed and dried, and another couple to put everything back. Once they were done, Kirino walked over to the T.V.

"What're you doing?" Kyousuke asked, walking towards the stairs.

"Fixing the T.V. If mom and dad come home and this is on, it won't be good."

"Good idea. Well when you're done, I'll be waiting in your room." Kyousuke started up the stairs.

"Wait, my room?!" Kirino shouted after him. Kyousuke didn't respond, just continued up the stairs. Kirino let thoughts bounce around in her head as she picked up the remote, and put the T.V. back the way it was before she put on Stardust Witch Meru Meru. Once that was done, she set the remote back on the end table near the couch, and then started making her way to her room. When she was up the stairs, she opened the door to her room and stepped inside. Kyousuke was sitting on her bed, with a small box in his hands. The box was wrapped in snowflake wrapping paper, and said 'To: Kirino From: Kyousuke.' He smiled and held the box out to her.

"Merry Christmas Kirino." Kirino smiled and walked towards him. She grabbed the box and sat down next to him on the bed. She tore off the paper, and underneath was a cardboard box. There wasn't anything keeping it shut though, so she opened it up and inside that was some kind of figure that had notebook paper wrapped around it. There was a strand of tape taping the paper to the figure. She peeled off the tape, and looked at the figure that was in front of her. It was a limited edition version of Stardust Which Meru Meru that was signed by the voice actor that played her. Kirino's eyes lit up with joy as she held the figure in her hands.

"How did you get this?! There were only a handful of them made and they were all sold out in minutes!"

"Saori helped me out a little. She knows the people that make these things and asked if they would make an extra for me if I paid full price for it still."

"Where did you hide it?! I looked everywhere!"

"I told you not to look!"

"Just shut up and tell me,"

"You're unbelievable… fine fine. I just put the figure in the box in the back of your closet. You have so many figures and other stuff in there, you'd never notice even if you looked."

"YOU WERE IN MY CLOSET?!"

"No no no! I just placed the box in there is all!"

"You…" She let her voice trail, but she couldn't help but show the sparkle in her eyes as she ogled the figure. She set it on the bed and then picked up the notebook paper that was taped around it. On it was a letter.

'Kirino-

I'm about as good as you are when it comes to expressing feelings and affection, but I want to tell you that I'm happy with our relationship. At first I was kind of nervous about this, because you are my sister and this kind of things is looked down upon, but I've come to realize I don't care. I'm happy that you're my girlfriend, and even though we might not always get along, and we tend to pick on one another still, I'm glad that you're around. Merry Christmas Kirino

Love, Kyousuke.'

Kirino set the letter down on her bed and leaned her head on Kyousuke's shoulder.

"Like you said, I'm bad at expressing my feelings, but I'm happy you're around too you know. Nobody else would tolerate the amount of stuff you do, and I'm thankful that you can be so patient with me. Sure we clash every now and then, but all siblings do, it's just a part of life." Kyousuke placed his arm around her shoulder. She looked up to him with her clear blue eyes, and he looked back to her. The moment was quickly ruined though when Kirino suddenly remembered the new figure she had. She quickly shot up off the bed and began twirling it around the room. Kyousuke sighed as her otaku self began to make an appearance. He leaned back on her bed when he noticed her computer was on, and had a game loaded up.

"You know your computer is on right?" He asked staring at her computer. She stopped messing with the figure to look at the screen.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You can go ahead and shut it down." She replied.

"What's this? No gaming tonight? That's new," Kyousuke laughed as he stood up off the bed and walked towards her computer.

"Not yet…actually I was thinking…if maybe you wanted to go uptown and look at all the lights that people have put up. Maybe check out the tree that's in the center of downtown. Dad did give us till 10, and what kind of teenagers would we be if we didn't come sneaking in just seconds before 10:01?" Kyousuke looked at Kirino who was smiling at him. She placed the figure on her computer desk, and then walked towards her door. She placed her hand on the door knob and then turned and looked at him.

"You coming?" She asked as she opened her door. Kyousuke finished shutting down her computer, and then made his way to Kirino. He shut off her light as he left her room, and closed the door behind him. They went down the stairs and headed towards the front door.

"What time is it anyways?" Kyousuke asked. Kirino pulled out her phone and looked.

"8:33" She replied.

"That means we can spend about an hour uptown before we should come back."

"Sounds good to me." The two slipped on their shoes, and then their jackets. Kirino quickly noticed the leather jacket that he was putting on.

"Where'd you get that?" She asked, rubbing her hands on it.

"Manami got it for me for Christmas," He replied honestly. Kirino let out a "hmph" before turning out the door. Kyousuke sighed, but soon followed her. He knew that a simple "hmph" was probably the best way things could have turned out. Kirino led the way down the sidewalk with her hands tucked into her jacket, and for the most part remained silent. She would often glance behind her and look at Kyousuke, but she wouldn't say anything. Eventually Kyousuke was able to catch up to her and walk by her side. He thought about trying to hold her hand, but since they were in town and out in public, he decided not to. And the fact that her hands were in her pockets might also be a problem.

"I didn't think you were one for the lights," Kyousuke mumbled as they kept walking.

"It's something to do," She replied. "Besides, I want to see what stores are still open. Maybe I can find a good deal on something."

"Like what?"

"Maybe a brain for you," She smiled as she teased him.

"Hey!"

"What? It's not my fault yours is dysfunctional."

"Maybe it wouldn't be if I didn't have some little sister beating on my head all the time!"

"If I didn't beat any sense into you, who would?"

"…"

"…"

"…Ayase." They both said at the same time. They shared a laugh as they continued making their way down the snowy streets. As they were walking, Kirino suddenly felt something hit her face. She placed a hand on her cheek, and then looked up to the sky. Little white snowflakes were falling gracefully. Kyousuke paused his steps and looked up into the sky as well.

"Snow huh?" He said. They both stood looking at the sky for a few seconds before Kirino spoke up.

"Remember our snowball fight?" She asked him.

"Huh? What fight? You mean the one where you couldn't make a snowball?" Kyousuke chuckled as he reminisced the past. Kirino shot a glare at him.

"Shut up! The stupid snow wouldn't stick together!"

"Uh huh, it was the snow," Kyousuke put heavy sarcasm in that sentence. Kirino looked to her side and at the snow that was on the ground. She thought about making a quick snowball and throwing it, but the snow had been there for a while and it was probably iced over, which didn't make for good snowballs. She decided that she would wait until enough of the new snow had fallen, and then she would strike.

"Hey," Kyousuke said, grabbing her shoulder. She turned around and looked at him. He was pointing his other hand out in front of her, and slightly upward. She followed his hand and saw what he was pointing at. Looking just above a few small buildings, they could see the top of the Christmas tree that was in the center of town. At the very top was a very bright shining star, and below that were hundreds of small ornaments that were spread all across the tree. Kirino looked at it for a little bit, and then decided to keep walking towards it. Kyousuke followed behind her as they walked into the downtown district. A lot of the shops had up various lights of all sorts of colors, some shops had small trees inside, others had larger ones outside. There were also a lot of snowmen that kids had made all over the place. Together they walked down the streets, and admired a lot of the lights, and sometimes even walking inside the store to look at things. They did this for as long as they could, but eventually there time ran out.

"Hey, we should get going soon, it's getting close to 10," Kyousuke said glancing at his watch. Kirino was busy looking inside a store window to respond, but she heard him. "Hey!" Kyousuke shouted, getting her attention.

"Yeah yeah, I hear you…" Kirino replied backing away from the window.

"Come on," Kyousuke said heading back towards their house. Kirino was slow to follow as she kept getting distracted by small things behind glass windows. Eventually though she caught up to Kyousuke, but not before they were almost home. Kirino did notice though that a good amount of snow had fallen, and that it should be perfect for a snowball. Quietly and slowly she slowed her pace, and then bent down to pick up some snow. She formed a snowball with her hands, and then quickly walked up behind Kyousuke.

"Hey, remember when you did this to me?" She said as she dropped the snowball down the back of his shirt. He did a little dance as it slid down his back, and eventually fell out. He turned around to face Kirino, who was laughing hysterically.

"Not funny!" He shouted, throwing his finger in her face.

"Maybe not to you, but to me it's hilarious," She replied sticking out her tongue. Kyousuke let out a soft smile as she repeated the words that he had said to her when he had dropped a snowball down her shirt. Kirino continued to laugh as she continued walking. Kyosuke walked by her side, and eventually they arrived at the front door to their house. Kyousuke glanced down at his watch. '9:57' was the time.

"Made it with three minutes to spare," He said as he pushed open the door.

"We're home," Kyousuke and Kirino said in unison. The house was slightly darker than when they left, and there wasn't any sound being made. They could tell the kitchen light was on, but the living room light was off, as was the T.V. Kyousuke was stepped into the living room with Kirino right behind him, and he saw that their father was sitting at the dinner table, and he did not look happy. He had never seen this look on his face before, and just the look itself sent a little fear through Kyousuke's body. He moved his eyes from his father to his mother who was in the kitchen, glancing down at the counter. She looked like she had been crying. Kirino moved past Kyousuke to see what was going on. She looked around as well and noticed the same things Kyousuke had. Their father remained silent, but his heavy breathing filled the room with noise, as everybody else remained quiet. Before either of them could say anything, their father held up a piece up paper that had been sitting on the table.

"What the hell is this?" He demanded as he held up the paper. Kyousuke and Kirino froze in place as they stared at the paper. It was the letter Kyousuke had written to Kirino.

Oh snap! D: not looking too good for the couple as of now :/ but anyways, thanks for reading! Please review, and also feel free to leave an idea for the title, because as you can tell I'm lacking creativity there. I know this is posted early, but I'm not sure If I'll be able to post tomorrow, so to be safe I'm putting it up a day early. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everybody!


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